Jason Howard asked:
The Last Frontier. The Land of the Midnight Sun. Seward’s Folly. Whatever you call it, Alaska is an interesting place to visit. But what if you are planning a move there? It is also a great place to live; there are just a few things you need to know when planning that move. This short list should be helpful for you.
No matter where you are moving from in the US, it is a long way to Alaska. That means your shipping costs are probably going to be pretty high. Most everything is going to be trucked to the Seattle/Tacoma area, and then put on a ship to go up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Prices are obviously going to vary depending on how much you ship and from how far you are shipping it.
You have a pretty large selection of companies that ship up north, and you can save yourself money by shopping around. You also have access to many of the big name shipping companies, but they may be a bit pricey.
One other thing to keep in mind is that in Anchorage, and even the smaller towns, you can get most anything you can get in the lower 48, and even if buying it in Alaska is more than buying it elsewhere, you may still end up paying less when you factor in the shipping costs.
You might even use that same philosophy when purchasing a car. In Anchorage especially you can get just about any car you want, and it might just be cheaper than shipping the one you own now. Even if you go on the ferry, you still could add around $1000 to your shipping cost.
As always, use common sense, shop around, do the math, and have fun moving to a great state. Bon voyage.
